Requiem For A Blue Sky
by Kelvena1
Summary: A brand-new session that takes place in the middle of the series! The Bebop crew discovers a bounty that Spike won't easily forget, discovering more and more about his mysterious past and the shocking revelations that come with it. *CHAPTERS 6 AND 7 UP!*
1. Requiem For A Blue Sky: The Bonsai Prelu...

Requiem For a Blue Sky  
by: Kelvenna  
E-mail: Kelvenna@hotmail.com  
  
This takes place during the middle of the show, and is a session within itself. A long, drawn-out conspiracy, Spike facing the most amazing part of his life, and Julia and his past are defenitely catching up to him. Love, hate, confusion are twisted together in this story, with a mixture of humor, drama, romance, and action.  
  
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Chapter 1: The Bonsai Prelude  
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"We have no food! AGAIN!" Faye groaned, as she slammed the refrigerator door shut. She made sure her whining was heard through the entire ship as she stomped around and made a melodrama about the situation. Spike was lying on the couch, reading some strange book entitled "A Walk On The Moon". His expression was pure boredom as he sniffed the air and looked over at Faye with a silly delusional expression on his face, probably from starvation..  
  
Lack of food is a common situation on the glorious cruise-ship Bebop. Well, if this hunk of junk could even be compared to that.   
  
"Did you take a shower, Faye?"  
  
Faye stopped her ranting tirade and glowered over at Spike. "Of course I take a shower! Everyday. Unlike you." She snorted and walked over to Ein, petting him. Ein raised one of his ears in confusion and looked over at Spike. He shrugged.  
  
"Then what smells?"  
  
"Er..." Faye sniffed the air suddenly, and wretched in disgust. There was something putrid wafting through the air. She covered her nose, and Spike mimicked her actions quickly.  
  
"ED MAKE FOOD-FOOOOD!" An echo was heard through the Bebop as the flaming-haired psychopath ran aroud with a plate on her head, dancing about. Ein wagged his tail, hoping for some sort of attention, and walked over to her. Bad idea.  
  
The putrid smell traveled into Ein's super-senstive nostrils, and he promptly fell over unconscious. Worriedly, Faye walked over to the poor dog and nudged him gently with her white boots. Ein's tongue lolled out of his mouth.  
  
Spike sat up.  
  
"Uh.. Ein doesn't look too great." Faye raised an eyebrow and looked over at Spike, who stared at Ed. Ed just blinked and smiled sweetly, unaware of the fact that she might have killed the animal.  
  
"Just what the hell did you make, Ed? I've never seen Ein looking so bad before." Spike scratched his puffy emerald curls and his expression changed to anxiety. If it knocked out Ein, would it kill them too?  
  
"Bonsai soup!" She twirled around and placed the bowls on the counter. Then, she waved her arms around mysteriously and continued her eccentric dance. "Bonsai soup, it's good goop!"  
  
Faye sat down, and sighed. "Did you get this from Jet's room?" She stared at the disgusting yellowy-green broth and hunks of leaves floating in it. Suddenly, she felt like licking the floor for algae would be much more satisfying then eating the soup in front of her.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY BONSAIS!?" Jet's scream was heard clearly on the other side of the Bebop, and Ed smiled sheepishly. Spike blinked and poked at the tattered remains of the Bonsai plant with a spoon.  
  
"I'm not involved." Faye said simply, and walked into the other room. "In fact, I was never here. Good luck Ed!" She waved her arm out of the doorway and smiled mischeviously. "You'll need it!"  
  
Spike sighed and looked over at Ed. "Listen to the woman. Jet treats his bonsais like newborns." A puff of smoke escaped his cigarette and he sat up. "Speaking of which, now it's about time for me to leave." With that, he shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked lazily away. 


	2. Requiem For A Blue Sky: Ghosts From The ...

Requiem For A Blue Sky  
Name: Kelvenna  
E-mail: Kelvenna@hotmail.com (I love comments!)  
  
The new bounty is WHO?  
  
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Chapter 2: Ghosts From The Past  
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"SOME people should be paying attention to insane hacker freaks on this ship while I'm busy."  
  
Jet sat on the corner of a horridly grotesque-colored couch and glowered at Ed. His eyes were lined with frustration and rage. Ed smiled sheepishly and waved to him apologetically. His expression not flinching in the slightest regard, he growled and flashed an evil look at her. Ed whimpered and ran off into another room, making sure never to mess with the Bonsai plants again.  
  
"Geez, Jet. What's your problem?" Spike looked at him curiously and Jet shook his head. He didn't look very happy.  
  
"I live with a bunch of morons, that's all." He sneered in Spike's general direction, blatantly giving off his sour mood for everyone to see.  
  
Spike ignored the comment and turned on the TV, which conveniently had the Hot Shots show on. Spike rolled his eyes. Sure, it was corny.. but it was the only bounty hunter TV show in existence. Without it, they wouldn't be able to find any of the deliquents roaming the universe. But most of all, without any bounties, there was no woolongs. Which meant the hunter lived off of the prey.  
  
Exaggerated western music with a horrible banjo beat suddenly echoed throughout the Bebop.  
  
"Heya, Punch! What bounties do we have today?" Judy wiggled her hips while wearing a revealing old-fashioned Cowboy shirt that barely covered over her breasts, and an extremely short miniskirt with a belt buckle. And you couldn't forget the horribly cliche cowboy hat. Punch, the male equivalent of Judy, was right next to her, looking a bit anxious.  
  
"Well, ombres, we got a 10,000,000 woolong bounty right here! Her name is Julia, and she's been accused of working co-op with the notorious Red Dragon Syndicate, and killing several important authority figures on Ganymede.."  
  
"They were real head honchos, weren't they? Maybe you could give some info on them, Punch?" Judy giggled in a very annoying way and---the TV turned black and desolate.  
  
Spike's eyes were wide, and Jet looked over at him in surprise. "Julia.." he whispered, and he stared at Jet. Jet was about to open his mouth and say something, but Spike had a strange look in his eyes. They had turned cold, full of sorrow and personal introspection.   
  
"Maybe we should go after this Julia girl. I mean, it's quite a hefty bounty--" Jet poked the subject at him cautiously, but even the mention of her name brought another shiver through Spike's body.  
  
"Shut up, Jet!" He snapped uncharacteristically, losing his cool and watching his rage and confusion explode. "This bounty is none of your damn business! Stay out of it!"  
  
Jet was speechless. Spike trembled and walked slowly over to his room, slamming the door behind him. Then he heard a click as he locked his door and shut himself away from everyone on the ship.  
  
There was something terribly wrong with Spike.  
  
Faye was leaning against her bedroom doorway, eyebrows raised. She had watched Spike walk into his bedroom and slam the door shut. "Hey, what's up with Spike? Did you say something mean, Jet? I've never seen him like this."  
  
Jet closed his eyes and looked over at Faye with a somber expression. Usually he would tell Faye to shut up and mind her own business, but just seeing Spike react in such a manner shocked him. He was the laid-back master of calm, never like this. In fact.. he seemed..  
  
"Have you ever heard of a girl named Julia?" Jet locked eyes with Faye's emerald orbs, and her expression changed suddenly to empathy.  
  
"Is that what this is about? Spike's old sweetheart?" She guessed correctly, but Jet shrugged. He wasn't sure himself.  
  
"Do you know anything about her?"  
  
Faye shifted her weight to the side and looked at the stairway leading to the deck. Silence ensued for a few seconds.  
  
"No. But the name Julia sounds like something from a storybook, something that entices you so much that you just can't forget about it."  
  
"Hmmm." Jet said finally, surprised at her poetry. "Let's just leave it be for now. How is Ein?" He changed the subject quickly.  
  
She chuckled. "Hey, how should I know? Last time I saw him he was still unconscious with his tongue dragging on the floor." A sly cat grin formed on her face and she sauntered off, dealing with her own manners as usual. Jet sighed.  
  
"Oh yeah, leave Jet to do all the work, huh?"  
  
----  
Ed sat in her own quarters, a bit depressed. Bonsai soup didn't seem like that bad of an idea when she first thought about it. She was hungry enough to eat just about anything. A grin lighted up her face and she began typing furiously at the computer, giggling to herself.  
  
NAME: JULIA  
OCCUPATION: CO-OP AGENT WITH RED DRAGON SYNDICATE  
CRIMES: ASSASSINATION OF SEVERAL KEY AUTHORITY FIGURES, POSSESSION OF ILLEGAL ITEMS  
CURRENT LOCATION: UNKNOWN  
LAST SEEN: OUTSIDE OF A GANYMEDE HOTEL  
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: BLOND HAIR, HAZEL EYES, USUALLY WEARING BLACK, 5'8", SLENDER AND TALL.   
REWARD: 10,000,000 WOOLONGS IF APPREHENDED ALIVE. _  
  
"Oooooohh." Ed gasped in surprise, gazing at the bounty's portrait. She had a grim look on her face, and her eyes looked vacant and expressionless. Ed grinned and whistled as she saved the profile onto her computer.  
  
"Ed-Ed find bounty-bounty!" She said in a sing-song voice, but no one replied. Everyone was busy. Shrugging, she shut off the computer and decided to show the Bebop crew the details later. She reached out to pet Ein, but realized instantly he wasn't there.  
  
"Ein!" Ed shouted in search of the missing dog, crawling on the floor and sniffing it. "Where did you gooo?"  
  
She hustled down the hallway, waving her arms around. Finally, she saw Ein weakly walking down the hallway, yipping unhappily. Ed put her hands on her hips and looked at him worriedly.  
  
"Where have you been, Ein? Ed was worried!" She pet him and he barked out a reply. Ed blinked and picked him up, unable to understand what he was saying.  
  
"Ed won't make bonsai soup again, don't worry! Ed has never seen Jet so mad before!" She laughed and Ein stared at her, apparently still traumatized from the whole ordeal.   
  
Ein whimpered at the mere words of bonsai soup. It would scar him forever.  
----- 


	3. Requiem For A Blue Sky: My Little Valent...

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Chapter 3: My Little Valentine  
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Julia.  
  
Blood-stained roses and the thick scent of Jasmine. Rain pouring down claustrophobic alleyways and children running in their coats. Umbrellas fumbling in the hands of ordinary people, rushing from the rain.  
  
A bouquet of flowers slowly landing on the ground. Petals scattered throughout the air and cigarette smoke twirling around it. I remember those days.  
  
I remember the fair-haired queen in her black suit and her utterly seductive eyes. Eyes you could drown in, gaze into until you feel like you can never rise to the surface ever again. She was enchanting.  
  
Spike opened his eyes, staring out his window, at the vast infinity of space. There were no lights on in the room, it was utter darkness. But he preferred it that way. No interference, just quiet. Just the sound of his breathing echoing through the room, and his trusty pack of cigarette soothing and numbing all anxietys he had with a single puff of smoke.  
  
Inhale.  
  
Exhale. Let all my worries fade away.  
  
"Why?" He whispered to no one, his eyes bleary and exhausted. His yellow cotton shirt was unbuttoned halfway, and his tie was hanging at a ridiculous angle. Julia was a traitor. She still worked for the Syndicate?  
  
Julia.. what are you doing?  
  
The smell of cake and sweet sugars wafting through a warm and dimly-lit room. A smile. Soft voices. He let them come, all of the memories that persisted every day of his waking life. He could not stop thinking of the enigma that was Julia.  
  
Sitting up, he rubbed his forehead and groaned. This was driving him insane.  
  
I don't understand, Julia. Are you with Vicious again? Why are you doing this? God..Julia..  
  
"It's never going to stop, is it?" he mumbled to himself, "Not until I see her again."  
  
Every day just seems like one big dream.  
  
"Spike!" He heard a woman's voice call out to him from outside the doorway, "Hey, Spike!"  
  
Spike closed his eyes and rested his head on a pillow. He was not in the mood for talking. "Yeah, what is it?"  
  
"Stop moping around and get up, dammit! Do you want to go to Ganymede or what?"  
  
Spike Spiegel was having a nervous breakdown.  
  
"Later, Faye. I need some sleep."   
  
"Oh, come on. We need food. We're broke. I'm starving. I lost the rest of our woolongs gambling. I already stole most of Jet's money and he's running around in his boxers. Uh.. heh. Anyway, you should get up and go after this Julia girl you're obsessing so much about." She continued her conversation, mad at Spike's sudden weakness. It was just so abnormal that it scared her, and now it was making HER act strange too.  
  
Spike jumped up out of bed and slammed open the door. He stared at her with angry eyes, mixed with tears and a rage at the sudden chaotic dischord of everything around him. His whole world was falling apart. Julia, working for the Syndicate? Killing people?   
  
What the hell kind of a soap opera am I in?  
  
She stared into his eyes for a long time, noticing how ferocious and blank they were at the same time, yet emotional and deep.. and, oh God, Spike's eyes were like looking into the core of his being.  
  
"Put yourself together!" She snapped at him suddenly, "It's only been an hour and I don't know what the hell you've turned into!" Faye pouted at him in disgust.  
  
Spike leaned closer to her and she gasped in fright. Suddenly, without even having time to react, he pressed his lips against her mouth. Hard. Her eyes widened in shock and she clenched her fists together in fear. Faye's lips were soft. He wasn't exactly sure why he was doing this again. Maybe because he was so numb he needed to feel something. Needed to feel something real, tangible.  
  
Faye? Why am I kissing Faye?  
  
Faye was overwhelmed by the sudden sensations, and found it very hard to pull away. This was Spike Spiegel, the curly-haired idiot who always got into trouble. The lazy bum. The person she always argued with. And now they were..?  
  
His kiss tasted like cigarettes, mixed with a faint trace of.. Spike. The oddest yet most intoxicating kiss she had ever felt.  
  
Finally, he pulled away from her. Faye was speechless. They both were. It was impossible. Vulnerable woman instantly turned into untouchable shrew woman.  
  
"You lunkhead.." she whispered.  
  
Spike smiled.  
  
-------------  
  
"Oooh! Ed saw Faye-Faye and Spike kissing!" Ed giggled to Ein after she watched the strange spectacle, and waddled off torwards her room. Ein perked his ears up in interest as Ed told the rest of the story.  
  
"Faye-Faye called Spike a lunkhead!" Ein stared at Ed who took amusement out of the ordeal. She thought it was hilarious that the 2 most bickering people in the galaxy could share anything intimate between each other.  
  
Jet walked into Ed's room, clad in only boxers thanks to the bet with Faye. "Thanks for the information, Ed. I'm going to get in touch with the ISSP.. they know enough about the Red Dragon Syndicate. If Spike's not going after the bounty, I at least want to get to the bottom of this."  
  
Ed just bobbled her head up and down and smiled. Ein barked and layed his head on his paws, bored. Ed pet him softly while typing away the keyboard with her toes.  
  
"Yeah, Derion? I want to get in touch with Chief Guyver. Yeah, it's important." He waited as a man's image appeared on his receiver. He was about Jet's age, with a hardened face, a curly shock of blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. He was wearing the ISSP uniform with a badge.  
  
"What do you know about this Julia bounty?" He said suddenly, and Chief Guyver started snickering.  
  
"Jet, first of all, why the hell are you in your boxers?" Jet grumbled in humiliation and continued to press for information.  
  
"Tell me about Julia."  
  
"Everything you've seen on TV is all the information we have." He said plaintively.  
  
"Bullshit." Jet growled, and Guyver raised his eyebrow.  
  
"I suggest you go to Ganymede and check things out for yourself, Black. I'm really busy right now and I have other matters to attend to."  
  
"Tell me something, then!" He continued, and finally Guyver threw up his hands and gave up.  
  
"Alright, you persistent bastard. Julia's involved with Vicious. I'm not sure if she's allied with him again, or if Vicious found her and took her as hostage to carry out his crimes. All I know is that I've seen the two of them together, and I couldn't tell a single bit of their motives."  
  
"Vicious? Sounds like a pleasant guy." Jet said sarcastically, "Thanks Guyver." Guyver nodded somberly and the screen flicked out. He put the receiver back in his pocket. Ed stared up at him, a confused expression on his face.  
  
"So we go to Ganymeeedee?" Ed blinked and Jet sighed, nodding. "Yeah, Ed. We go to Ganymede. But first I need to find some clothing, because it's cold." He shivered and cursed at Faye for cheating him out of his deal. Where was she, anyway? 


	4. Requiem For A Blue Sky: Early Bird In Th...

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Chapter 4: Early Bird In The Rain  
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"Heya, Faye." Spike said nonchalantly the next morning, passing by her through the hallway. He seemed deep in thought, wandering around the Bebop halls aimlessly. She gazed at him nervously for a split second, but said nothing. She managed to lock eyes with the curly-haired freak and he looked a bit nervous himself, which was unusual. Instead of blurting out her obviously hurt feelings, she just muttered a hello in return to him and rolled her eyes in disgust.  
  
Inside of the deep psyche of Faye, she was confused as all hell. Why would Spike just ignore the obvious? Last night we were kissing.. and now we're back to our bickering old selves. This makes no sense. Dammit Spike, why do you have to be so utterly unreadable?  
  
Sighing, she smoothed her violet locks with her slender fingers. Her emerald orbs glowed as she contemplated thoughtfully on what kind of chemistry they shared, what kind of intimate connection that they both desired yesterday night.  
  
Desired? Nah. Faye shuddered as the powerful word raced through her mind. To yearn for. To wish for. It was just random affection that night. Yeah.. random. They both were tired and groggy. Maybe she had too much to drink.  
  
Affection. There she went with strange, romantic words again. Words she hadn't thought of in a long time about anyone. She sure hoped she wasn't falling in love with Spike, then she knew she was getting desperate for men.  
  
Was there anything between us at all?  
  
"Nothing." she said bitterly to herself as she entered her room and prepared to enter the shower, "Nothing at all."  
  
She pushed away curious thoughts of the lunkhead Spike as the warm water hit her back, and she rubbed the back of her neck to ease the pain from sleeping. There was a bounty to catch and she was defenitely on the lookout for clues. She grinned. Men were total idiots anyway. They either let you down or they didn't make any sense. They were too much of romantics, living in a fantasy world of roses and chivalry. Faye knew she was in control. No more worrying about the crazy guy in the blue suit downstairs.  
  
Yet, as she reached to turn the shower dial torwards her, she couldn't help but think of the night before. Playing through her head over and over again, like an endless videotape she knew she couldn't ignore...   
  
She closed her eyes.   
  
"God, you idiot."  
  
----------  
  
Spike reached for his cigarettes by instinct as he stopped by Jet's room. The bonsai plants obviously weren't there anymore after Ed's terrible ordeal, and it seemed a bit empty. Spike was sure he would buy new ones, but it just wasn't the same. He knew Jet was upset about it still, and Ed was too. The plants truly meant a lot to him.  
  
"Yo Jet." Spike waved at him to get his attention, and Jet turned around smiling. He was in an awfully good mood considering the consequences. Spike smiled softly. Jet took all of the burdens from everyone and still seemed to maintain a pleasant additude.  
  
"Hey Spike." Jet averted his gaze from him suddenly, and there was an unsettling silence in the room. Spike looked at him, confused.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"The bounty-" Jet started, but Spike quickly interrupted him.  
  
"-Let's go after it. Here's my second chance. You never get that too often, you know?"  
  
Jet looked at him with a surprised expression. It wasn't like Spike to suddenly have a change of heart, but his eyes were set. He wanted to settle things once and for all. His expression was complete determination, and Jet grinned in appreciation at his spontaneous burst of character.  
  
"Alright. We'll enter the transport gate around 5:00. Then you can dispatch the Swordfish and we'll have a look around. I seriously doubt that they're still on Ganymede anymore though. Believe me, I've lived there a long time.. usually people don't."  
  
Spike lit his cigarette and leaned against the wall. "I don't know what I'm doing, Jet." he muttered and looked at the ground, "But I think it's right."  
  
"There's a difference between thinking and knowing." Jet chuckled to himself softly, "I heard that from my grandmother once. She was always getting on my case."  
  
Spike laughed out loud, lightening the mood. "You're so old Jet, I couldn't even imagine you having a grandmother."  
  
-------  
  
They landed on Ganymede quickly and abruptly. The port was overcrowded, as usual, and Jet felt grateful he was home. Ganymede was always a place that brought him inner peace, he knew most of the people there well. After all, he grew up there.  
  
"Now, Ed. Stay in the ship." Jet warned as Ed sulked behind them, and Ein barked for their attention. Faye growled at Ein and he backed away, running into the ship as fast as he could.   
  
"ED WANTS TO GO!" She practically screamed, making several people stare at the spectacle. She did cartwheels around the crew members while repeating this with a chanting voice. Faye sighed and put her hands on her hips.  
  
"Ed, if you stay and take care of the Bebop, I'll bring you back something special." There was a glint in her eyes. A glint few people trusted.  
  
"But..but.. Faye-Faye!" Ed groaned, "Faye-Faye never brings back anything! Ed sits around bored out of her skull!" She pouted and made a big X with her hands at the Bebop.  
  
"Er..well.. I promise this time! It'll be something nice. Reaallyy nice." Faye laughed nervously, and Spike raised his eyebrow at her. Jet folded his arms together and looked around, viewing his surroundings.  
  
"Fine.." Ed said finally, defeated. She hung her head and walked back into the ship, looking depressed. Jet finally turned around and faced Spike and Faye.  
  
"Well, shall we go?" Faye said, walking ahead of them and putting on her sunglasses. The sun glistened in the distance and the puffy white clouds floated above them. "It's a beautiful day, and we have a lot of work to do!"  
  
------ 


	5. Requiem For A Blue Sky: Lone Bird's Call

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Chapter 5: Lone Bird's Call  
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Ganymede was too full of surprises. Bustling people, obnoxious shouts. Spike frowned as the noises made his head ache like none other. It reminded him of earlier when Jet was yelling his head off at the misfortunate Edward. He cringed but continued further, trying to destroy the horrid racket with some light-hearted humming.  
  
Faye. He noticed her in front of him suddenly, walking about with her usual haughty steps and seductive manner. He looked away from her quicky, and he wasn't sure exactly why. The words "forbidden territory" echoed through his mind, as he instead observed the manners of others.  
  
"We're not finding anything." He muttered and stretched out his arms. They had been searching almost half of Ganymede for hours in search of some sort of clue. Every trace they could find Jet looked at and they investigated. Nothing. As soon as they came, they left, and he knew it. Spike intuition was never wrong.  
  
"Quit whining." Faye waved her arm in a laid-back manner. "We'll find something. I know we will!"  
  
Faye was persistent. She hated to be wrong, too. The thought of that lunkhead being right bothered her immensely. There had to be something here. This trashy dump. Why did Jet live here, anyway?  
  
"I agree with Spike." Jet said finally, looking at the both of them. "Ganymede was meaningless. There's nothing here. We have absolutely no leads where they are or why they were here. It's just one big mystery."  
  
"They wouldn't come here for nothing!" Faye snapped, and glanced around the busy streets. "You sure one of your syndicate buddies maybe decided to hide out here?"  
  
Spike's expression changed suddenly. He looked sideways, averting his gaze from Faye. "No."  
  
Faye glanced at him for a few seconds in surprise, and shut herself up. The one word answer was unsettling to Faye and to Jet. She watched him turn around and walk in the other direction, against the flow of the crowd. He was going back to the ship.  
  
Jet raised his eyebrow. "What is up with Spike? One minute he's all eager to come here, and now.."  
  
"..Just let it be." She sighed and gently pulled the sunglasses from her emerald eyes for a moment. "Men are such babi-- Hey, Jet, did you see that?"  
  
Alarmed, Faye took her gun out of the holster and pushed a bystander out of the way. She was running like hell. Jet noticed that a man in a black coat with slicked-back raven hair was in an alley, observing Spike as he walked by. The gaze in his eyes seemed far from friendly.  
  
"Dammit Faye!" Jet started, but stood there helplessly. "Come back! Your gun's not even loaded!" But it was too late, the femme fatale was gone down the block in a flash.  
  
The strange man, who seemed extraordinarily young, noticed Faye approaching and took off after Spike. He was much faster than Faye, and well-trained, leaping over insane obstacles. Spike seemed to sense the man way before Faye did, and he was already trying to confuse him. Faye stopped at the corner, gasping for breath. She looked to the side to notice a series of alleyways criss-crossing in scattered directions. Her lips curved upwards.  
  
"Hmmm..."  
  
-------  
  
Like an agile cat, Spike swerved effortlessly around the bustling crowd as the man took chase after him. Finally, he found his roadblock after swerving into a dead-end alleyway. Shocked, Spike turned around and glanced wildly in several directions.  
  
Before he knew it, the man had pushed him against the wall and rammed a gun to his forehead. A chesire grin crossed Spike's face with his eyes closed. "You're quicker than I used to be."  
  
"Spike." the voice said with a firm tone, "Spike, open your damn eyes."  
  
The voice hit him like a million tons of concrete on his head. His eyes snapped open and he stared into the familiar piercing violet orbs that he knew too well.  
  
"Lin?" he said, his breath quickening, "Lin, what are you doing here?" His eyes were wide as Lin's grim expression didn't waver in the slightest regard.  
  
"I was supposed to kill you." He said flatly, and the gun slowly lowered to his side. His breath was quickened as well, knowing his fate for disobeying. "Get the hell out of here. Just go."  
  
"I want to know about Julia, dammit." He grit his teeth and didn't hesitate to take his own gun out of his pocket. "Tell me why the Syndicate is involved with Julia."  
  
"Vicious knew you would be coming." Lin said, his gaze softening. "He knows you are a bounty hunter. Although the Syndicate presumes you dead, Vicious knows otherwise. He knew that the instant you heard he name Julia you'd come running like a blind mouse to Ganymede."  
  
Spike's expression didn't change one bit, his anger just increased. "I don't care about that shit, Lin. Tell me why Julia's involved!"  
  
Lin put the gun in its holster and bowed his head. "Spike, even I don't know why Julia's with Vicious. Nobody knows why."  
  
Spike's eyes had become that of a ravenous beast. His eyes probed into Lin's and he trembled slightly. Julia. With Vicious.  
  
"Are they.."  
  
"No." Lin said instantly, "They're not. I think Julia's a prisoner, not a--"  
  
"-Enough." Spike muttered, "Doesn't matter. You don't know anything, just like I do. And you come saying you were going to kill me. What the hell is on Vicious's mind?"  
  
"Spike, there's something I have to tell you. I think you'd like to know.. Why do you think that you have no---"  
  
A shot rang through the alley and Spike jumped. The bullet cleanly ran through Lin's stomach, and he made a choking noise, collapsing on the ground in an instant. A precise shot.   
  
"LIN!" A strangled scream came from Spike's throat, and he ran over to his fallen comrade. The shot was too clean, to perfect. The Syndicate was near.  
  
"Spike.." he gasped out, struggling to maintain his last few heartbeats. "Spike, just run away.. You don't want to know anymore.. You don't want to know what you.." His eyes closed and he gasped out his last breath. He fell limp in Spike's arms immediately.  
  
He looked up somberly and saw Faye at the alley entrance, staring at him and Lin with a dazed expression on her face.  
  
"Spike.. I.."  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Faye?! Get out of here! There's Syndicate members around!" His voice was full of rage as he stood up and glared at her.  
  
"They're gone, Spike." She crossed her arms and stared at him. "They didn't want to kill you. I think Vicious is playing a game of cat and mouse."  
  
Spike stared at her. "Next time, Faye, stay out of it. This is none of your business." He shuffled in his pockets for some cigarettes, his hands trembling. Faye looked at him with sympathy as he busily searched for his lighter in one of his pockets.  
  
Dammit, Spike.. She felt the faintest trace of tears dying to form in her eyes, Why do you have to be so cold? I was just trying..  
  
Her eyes became hard as he looked back up at her and a ringlet of smoke puffed out of his cigarette. "Want one?"  
  
Faye said nothing. "What are you going to do with Lin?"  
  
"Let him rest in peace." Spike said finally, and walked out of the alleyway. "Let's go."  
  
She sighed as Spike walked away and Jet ran up to him from around the block. He shut himself out, yet again.  
  
She stared at Lin's corpse for a long time before walking up to Jet and Spike. 


	6. Requiem For A Blue Sky: The Sobbing Dove

---------------------------  
Chapter 6: The Sobbing Dove  
---------------------------  
  
Inside the Bebop, all was quiet. Jet and Spike ssat somberly on chairs playing a game of cards. Ed was furiously typing in the other room, possibly playing an online game with one of her new friends. And then there was Ein, yawning lazily and watching the creaky ceiling lights swinging back and forth. Back and forth.. back and...  
  
"Jet, you've lost your touch." Spike smirked as he showed off his perfect deal to Jet. Jet sighed in frustration and pushed the woolongs to his side of the table. There was no contest with Spike. He always won everything. That's why they went gambling for about once a week, because he was the epitome of Mr. Good Luck.  
  
"What touch?" Jet took one of his favorite cigars out of his pocket and sighed contentedly. "You always beat me, Spike. I haven't won once. That doesn't make me an unlucky man, though. Charlie Parker says--"  
  
"---If ya want something, ya gotta give to receive." Spike said monotonously, reciting the line at the same time Jet did.  
  
Ein barked out a reply. Spike looked at Ein slowly then at Jet. Jet sighed. "Hey, does it look like I know what the little guy is thinking?"  
  
Spike shrugged and let the matter rest as he slouched down on the couch, relaxing. Ein barked again and ran around Spike in circles. Spike watched his crazy antics, quickly becoming dizzy at his movements. Finally, Ein's miniscule bushy tail disappeared into the other room.  
  
Jet stood there, open-mouthed.  
  
After about a period of 2 minutes, Ein walked back into the room with his blue bowl in his mouth, with "Ein" lazily written in black marker. He sat on his hind legs in front of Spike and waited patiently.  
  
"Damn dog.." Spike muttered as he rubbed his eyes and sat up. "What do you want?" Spike noticed the empty food dish and sighed. "You're a dog, get your own food!" Spike was apparently in a cranky and tired mood. Ein was the least of his concerns.  
  
Jet raised his eyebrows and grabbed the bowl out of Ein's doggy mouth. "Come on Ein, let's get you some food." He stood up from the couch and glowered at Spike, noticing his obvious laziness.  
  
"And you, Bounty Slacker, go get Faye. She's been stuck in her room all night, and her door's locked. Maybe you can use some of your manly charms." Jet chuckled at him softly and Spike growled. He hated being teased.  
  
"Go put on your apron and make some bell peppers and beef." Jet growled also when he heard this and closed his eyes, trying to maintain his temper. Spike smiled sarcastically and sat up.   
  
He whistled as he walked down the hallway, humming a jazz tune. He pushed the horrible thoughts behind in the recesses of his memory. Maybe he could convince Jet to give up the bounty and to search for something anew.  
  
Yeah, that would be nice... an escape. Then maybe I can find Julia without having the present poke constantly into the past. Then we can..  
  
He stopped in front of her doorway, and knocked on it. There was no answer for several minutes. He pressed his ear against the doorway so he could hear something. Nothing. There was utter silence.  
  
Shrugging, he kicked open the doorway, watching it fall to the ground. He walked inside, and suddenly looked worried. There was no lights on, it was utterly dark. He could barely see a thing.  
  
"What do you want?" A groggy voice came from the bed, and then a slight groaning. Spike frowned and shook his head. What was up with her?  
  
"Jet wants to see you. Maybe some new info on the bounty." He looked for a cigarette in his pocket but realized his pack was empty. He would have to find some more later.  
  
"Shut up, Spike." Faye's voice was slurred and she waved one of her arms. "Go away, you stupid lunkhead. You shtupid, inshenshitive LUNKHEAD!"  
  
Spike's eyes widened as he noticed numerous bottles of alchohol scattered throughout the room. He poked one with his foot and noticed that she didn't intend to drink lightly, she intended to drink to get drunk.  
  
Faye was apparently very drunk.  
  
"And I feel sick.. you make me sick." She groaned in pain and Spike winced at the comment. Faye sounded so weak and vulnerable and it suddenly bothered him very much.  
  
"Eh, get up Faye. Someone has to feed Ed.."  
  
"You feed her!" Faye shouted, "You don't care about me! You just ushed me. You think I'm just some easy lay, a shtupid slut! I'm..I'm.."  
  
He couldn't believe what he was hearing from Faye. It didn't sound like Faye at all. His eyes were wide in shock.  
  
He uneasily walked closer to her, smelling the faint traces of alchohol that she probably reeked of. He clicked on one flimsy lamp in her room and instantly noticed the photograph on her bedside table.  
  
He picked it up, fingering it softly. It was apparently an old photograph, crinkly and nothing like the photographs the universe could produce now. In it, was an image of a young purple-haired girl riding on a strange contraption with mechanical horses and rods to hold them up. She was grinning widely.  
  
He flipped over the strange photograph and saw "For Faye" scrawled on it with marker. Surprised, he set it back down on the table. She must have gotten it recently, he never saw any personal items of her own anywhere.  
  
"Faye, dammit, get up!" He shouted loudly, frightened by her vulnerability. He heard a faint trace of muffled sobs coming from the pillow. Worried, he touched the sheets and threw them off, hoping to get her out of bed.  
  
His last cigarette fell from his mouth and onto the floor.   
  
"F..Faye.." His voice was shaky. "Just get up later.. just..yeah.." He looked away from her quickly and walked out of the room, his face tainted slightly crimson and his eyes still wide.  
  
Jet stared at him with shock, wearing a white apron and coming out of the kitchen.   
  
"What's wrong, Spike? What happened to Faye? You look.."  
  
"...Nothing." Spike stared at the ground and walked away. "She's fine. She'll wake up later."  
  
Jet stared at him worriedly as he suddenly went into his room and shut the door abruptly. He shrugged and look over at Ein.  
  
Ein cocked his head to the side, but said nothing.  
  
"Wonder what happened.." 


	7. Requiem For A Blue Sky: Morning, Starshi...

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Chapter 7: Morning, Starshine  
---------------------------  
  
The scent of fresh eggs and bacon wafted from the kitchen into every corridor of the Bebop. It was morning. Jet was humming happily as Ein raced around with Ed, who had a frying pan over her thick flaming curls. She was also wearing a ratty yellow blanket, adorned with small knitted chickens racing across the front. She made a racket while chasing Ein awkwardly around the old couch in the main lobby.  
  
"Meow-Meow! Ed will catch doggy Ein and serve him for breakfast with Piyokos!" She giggled maniacally and crawled over the couch, sniffing the area like a predator. Jet, in the other room, told them to hush up and quiet down with their silly antics.  
  
Ein didn't think it was so silly. He whined and hid underneath the couch, shivering slightly, as Ed approached.  
  
"Ed knoowwws where you are, doggy Ein! Ed will find you and--"  
  
She stopped in mid-sentence as Ein jumped over her prowling hands and raced torwards the other room. She scratched her head, dazed. Before she knew it, Ein had sped off into his own little corridor. She sighed in disappointment and fell over on the couch, feet sticking up in mid-air. The ceiling was so boring.  
  
"Jet-person?" Ed said with a bored expression on her face, "Where is Lunkhead and Faye-Faye?"  
  
From the other room, Ed could hear a soft reply in tune with the sizzling of the bacon. "Sleeping, I guess. I don't get those two. They're even harder to understand than you, you crazy kid."  
  
Ed beamed at the comment and sped off into another room, looking for something, ANYTHING to amuse her. She dashed about and waited for something interesting to happen. A few seconds later, she anxiously headed over to her laptop. There was always something going on in the cyber world, after all. It was too enthralling to ignore.  
  
--------  
  
An unfamiliar white room.  
  
He opened his eyes softly, and felt the light-headedness sweep over him. Everything was painfully bright, including the windows, and the ceiling. The eternally vacant walls. The white sheets of his bed. The metallic rods of the bed supporting the fluffy, cloud-like mattress.  
  
His thoughts drifted away suddenly. He moaned in confusion until he heard the faintest traces of footsteps echoing through a distant hallway. He sat up in his bed, still feeling floaty and disoriented. Even when he shook his head, the feeling would not subside. Too many sedatives?  
  
A door opened and an arc of light flowed into the room. He squinted and saw the glint of the auburn eyes he knew best. Her face was still angelic as always, and her hair always curled around her like an amazing gold centerpiece. She smiled softly and looked at him, standing only a few inches away from him.  
  
"How does it feel?"  
  
Spike closed his eyes and shifted his weight suddenly. A sharp pain cascaded over his back. He winced and looked up at Julia.  
  
"I feel kinda funny."  
  
Julia chuckled gently at him and sat in a metallic chair, observing him quietly. Spike's reaction and mind processes seemed to slow down, he felt time fly out the window and voices seemed longer and distended. Even his voice sounded strange to him. There was a different quality to it, something he lacked.  
  
"No, silly, I meant to be alive."  
  
Spike stared at her in confusion. Her voice was fading away, and her hair quickly became a blur of gold. So hard to focus, he felt himself slip away like stars fading out of existence.  
  
"Hey, stay with me." Her voice became worried and urgent as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Spike, stay with.."  
  
Spike tried very hard to focus on Julia's form, her strange eyes, the white room. But it suddenly felt scary and strange. Like it was the first time he ever crossed the street without his mother, or a walk outside as a child to truly see things the way they were.  
  
"What the hell did you do.. did you do to...me." He closed his eyes and felt his consciousness beginning to slip from him like grains of sand falling from tree branches. He sighed and held on the best he could.  
  
"Spike." Julia was gone suddenly, in a flash. He was in a different room, only this time it was dark. Faye's room. It was the scene from earlier, only this time he didn't walk away. This time he stared at her, still shocked and unable to think of anything to say.  
  
"Spike, do you like what you see?" Her voice was sultry, soft, and her emerald eyes narrowed and probed into his soul. He felt his throat tighten and his breath quickening. He felt the pang of loneliness inside of him, and he saw Faye reaching out to him in a way he had never imagined before. It didn't seem like Faye at all.  
  
Not even Julia could do this to him.  
  
"Spike, do you..  
  
..Do you feel like..   
  
GETTING UP FOR BREAKFAST?!"  
  
Everything disappeared. He jolted up from his bed, eyes opened wide. He glanced around wildly and saw Faye standing by the door, her hand on her hips and sighing. For a while, he stared at her and Faye quickly became unsettled.  
  
"Get up!" She said finally on an annoyed note, and walked away from him, tending to her own business. He shook his head and slipped on his blue slacks while fumbling with his emerald locks. There were small strands of sweat on his forehead, and his eyes seemed strained.  
  
Throwing on his yellow shirt and sloppily adjusting his black tie, he stood up and looked out the window. Thick, blank outer space.. as usual.  
  
"Whoa, that was weird." He said to himself, and brushed it off for the time being. Well, most of it. Now he felt even awkward around Faye. Good thing her apparent massive hangover destroyed most of her memory of last night. Great, like we need any more tension...   
  
Women. He shook his head.  
  
He sauntered over to the breakfast table and took his seat, sitting with the rest of the crew. Ed was gobbling down her food with abandon, meanwhile Jet was looking over various documents on the bounty Ed had printed out during her bout with boredom. Faye ate her food, looking a bit distant from the rest. Her mind drifted into her own private musings while she ate.  
  
"Food." Spike said with a thankful note, poking the eggs and chewing on them hungrily. It had been a while since the Bebop crew actually ate any food besides Jet's ancient rations and the occasional Bell Peppers and Beef - without the beef, of course.  
  
"Well, we've got some record now." Jet looked up from his food and stared at Spike, who was practically shoving the food down his throat. He raised his eyebrow and sighed.  
  
"They're on Mars. They've been running through the whole galaxy, but they've been particuarly fond of staying on Mars as a rest-stop between their murdering. That's our best ticket, Spike."  
  
Spike nodded and looked at Jet in approval. Ein also a barked a reply, and everyone shrugged in unison. They guessed it was also Ein's signature of approval as well.  
  
"That means I get to go gambling!" Faye suddenly shouted and grinned. "And I roll in heaps and heaps of dough!" A look of selfishness washed over her face as she imagined herself rolling in mountains of sprinkling woolongs.  
  
"Faye, don't get any ideas." Jet grumbled, but she ignored him. She was oblivious to much else except to her desire to be rich.  
  
"Yeah, didn't you try and gamble in Ganymede with our very last 3 woolongs?" Spike raised an eyebrow and she gazed at them both innocently.   
  
"No, that was strictly business with an associate of min-"  
  
"-- ED-ED GOT NO PRESENT FROM GANY-MEDEEE!" Ed wailed out suddenly, and Faye stared at her guiltily.  
  
She shoved through her yellow vinyl pockets and came up with the photograph Spike had seen earlier. His expression changed as he saw the familiar picture. Quietly, Faye handed over the photograph to Ed and she smiled.  
  
"Wow! Thanks Faye-Faye!" Ed smiled widely and began dancing on the table. Alarmed, Jet began to shout at the child for endangering the dishes and other precious silverwear they desperately needed.  
  
Spike slouched back in his chair and closed his eyes.  
  
"I don't get kids." 


End file.
